


A World Without

by Skeren



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 22:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5946175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeren/pseuds/Skeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where circumstances were different, Zack ended up missing his window to become SOLDIER the way he did originally. Of course, this means that things went entirely different for everyone. </p><p>To a point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this thing back in 2007, and I'm thrilled to be able to say I had a friend who was part of a doujin circle pick it up and illustrate it.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't have said doujin scanned, but I can honestly say that doesn't negate how awesome it existing is.
> 
> Also, this was originally two stories, and the chapter 'Three Degrees North' was the _original_ , and first, part of this story, though it comes last in this particular posting.

He'd finally finished all paperwork for the evening, meetings having come to a close several hours before. It had left him some much-needed peace to complete things he'd been putting off most of the day, though things that could have been classed as 'urgent' had been dealt with in timely fashion between one unwelcome visit and another.

There were days when he would happily kill for a secretary or companion of some kind to distract him, or better, to deal with some of the mess. Other days, the very idea of having some green creature that didn't have any idea what it was doing in his space for several hours at a time made him want to cringe back behind his desk and never emerge. 

The latter always prevented the former from coming to pass as he refused the idea of putting in a form for any random draw. If he ended up with someone nearby, it would be of his choice, not due to being desperate for whatever might come his way. He wasn't a fool, especially not one of that kind. 

Collecting his things and resettling his coat over his shoulders, he padded down the hall, taking the elevator down to leave the building, having all intentions of going to get a late meal. The sounds of gunfire coming from somewhere he was sure should have been cleared out by now got his attention, distracting him into heading a different direction than he'd intended.

Looking in, he was surprised at what he saw. Marksmanship of that caliber wasn't, after all, something that usually was kept to oneself. Still, he couldn't very well say nothing, now could he?

-o-o-o-

"You aren't supposed to be here cadet." The words were quiet, spoken by a voice he only recognized from it having been directed at others. That recognition was still enough to make him freeze though.

Thankfully, his reaction only lasted for a few seconds before he spun around into a crisp state of attention, rifle held a bit too tightly in his hands. "Sir!"

Green, feline eyes scanned over him from head to toe, seeming intent and just as inhuman as the pictures sometimes made them seem. He repressed anything that might have resembled a shiver as he waited for the man to finish. With luck, he would be dismissed instead of written up once the man was done. Hopefully. "What are you doing out here at this hour?"

"Practicing sir." He was very careful to keep any of the jitters out of his voice. Stuttering would not impress the man, he was sure of it.

"For?" He had a moment of scattered panic, then realized he was holding his rifle, not one of the blades he borrowed occasionally from one of the other units he knew people in. 

"The marksmanship competition sir." 

The gaze took another pass over him, but after a moment it finally broke away, the man moving to collect the sheets that Cloud had put up earlier to monitor his practice. "I see. Carry on cadet."

"Sir!" He gave a salute instead of yielding to the intense urge to collapse as he felt something in his head go a little woozy with relief while he watched the man turned and walk away from the range instead of lingering or reporting him. Not that there were many higher ups that he could have been reported _to_ , but that really wasn't the point.

It was only after the man left that he realized that all his practice, and progress, had just left with the General. Sighing, and deciding that having to start over was getting off easy compared to what could have happened, and he just moved to scrawl his name over the top of a new sheet, setting it up where the last one had just been taken from. 

-o-o-o-

Looking over the papers in his hands, most being shooting marks, the distance each had been set at noted up in the left-hand corner, he arched an eyebrow over the fact that apparently the boy had been in there quite some time. The other papers, some notes that were scrawled in the same hand as the name on each of the practice sheets, seemed to be a personal evaluation by the boy himself.

Having determined what everything he'd taken was, he finally let himself register the name. Cloud Strife. Interesting, and not one he'd heard anything about before, surprisingly, or perhaps not so much considering the lack of contact he had with that portion of the company. 

He would keep an eye on him, and perhaps there would be enough fortune that the boy wouldn't end up stolen away by the Turks before his curiosity was satisfied. It didn't always happen, but better to have the precaution in place in case such did occur.

He was interested, and one could afford no interest in Turks.

Nodding to himself, he set off towards his original destination. He would have the papers sorted out and the notes sent to the boy in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been pure curiosity that had led him keeping an eye on the tournament. None of those coming under his direct command tended to be interested in marksmanship, so he hadn't even been aware of the event before the cadet had brought it to his attention the week before. It was neglectful of him. Still, the reminder had brought to light holes in his precautions, of which he was now doing his best to mend, and in the future he wouldn't let it go as he had in the last few months.

In the meantime, however, there was only so much that could be done, and he'd spent a portion of his free time looking into the cadet's background between projects, trying to determine what it was that made the boy, Strife, need to practice at odd hours of the night on something he clearly was already more than proficient at. The file had a distinct lack of anything that might be construed as disciplinary action as well, which was curious judging by the simple fact that he had met the blond while he was somewhere he shouldn't have been. That meant either the boy was very well behaved, which was possible, but seemed unlikely, or he was very deft at keeping himself from getting caught.

The fact that there was nothing had gotten him to linger in a way that their first meeting hadn't, though when the boy had won the tournament, it had come as no surprise. Especially given what he'd seen of him. 

The lack of reprimands also fully explained the interest of the Turks. Even without the most recent addition to the file, the sheer cleanliness of it would have gotten someone looking, and they had more than likely found something that his cursory examination would have easily missed.

The last point of apparent interest was the fact that the boy had apparently set his sights on SOLDIER for a career. That meant that he would, at some time, be dealing with the boy again. 

Satisfied with the idea that his interest wasn't going to end up without any direction, he exited the file and returned to his other tasks.

-o-o-o-

The specimen had an incredibly high intelligence, though from other reports it seemed to have been almost completely overlooked as he was, apparently, too well behaved to have any disciplinary reports filed about him. He was also strong for his size, and with age might make a very sturdy fighter. Shinra didn't need more fighters, not really, and he could always use a new subject for a long term project. 

The odd readings that had almost resembled a _symbiosis_ to Mako had been more than enough to get his attention, and he found that it fit in with what he'd been looking for quite nicely. 

He finished filling out the paperwork and signed his name with a flourish to settle the matter once and for all. He so loved interesting results, they always led onto the most fascinating tangents. However, he did need time and space to carry out these tangents, or they would never go anywhere. Because of this, he'd decided that it would be for the best to keep the boy isolated away from his more famous project in light of the discovery he'd made about him. He felt no regret in withholding the potential specimen from his ongoing project, as he was sure Shinra would be more than grateful for whatever results he finally obtained, being none the wiser of his deception. The physical evaluation was one of the more important portions of the SOLDIER screening process after all, and who were they to dispute his notation that the boy was unfit for the process he himself had developed?

Straightening, he moved to drop the medical report in the outgoing basket, and he smiled at the assistant who was in the room with him, pleased at the younger man's awareness, or perhaps that was his lack thereof. He wasn't being closely watched. "Armant. You can take the results out to be sent."

The words drew the man's blue eyes to him, and his smile widened when the assistant simply left the room, going to do as told without a single question being asked. Humming, he turned back to the evaluations, making sure there was nothing else of interest that he'd missed in one of the others.

He wouldn't like to think he'd missed out on the call of opportunity after all.

-o-o-o-

He took a few deep breaths, bracing himself as he stared down at the envelope that had finally come in as most of his squadron had headed to dinner. Results. The preliminary test results had finally come in. Was he medically sound? Did he have the right outlook to do this? Was his personality fit for this line of advancement? Was he physically capable? Smart enough?

It was the moment of truth, the moment that would determine everything about his future. It was the moment that would tell him if his efforts had been a complete failure up until now.

Glancing around, he made completely sure that he was alone, not wanting to risk one of the others dealing with him if it came to the worst. Thankfully his commander had waited until he was the only one left before dropping the envelope on his bunk, so nobody was left in the room, and he was getting the news by himself. 

He shakily undid the pin, pressing the paper flap of the envelope open with his thumb, and drew the white sheets out, carefully arranging them in a stack with the envelope on the bottom. 

Pausing, he exhaled slowly before dipping his head to look, to read it. 

He scanned his eyes over the words twice before what was written finally sank in. Then he read it a third time, disbelieving of what was laid out in plain black and white. They said that there was no chance. Medical was for keeps and he'd failed with flying colors. 

Slowly balling up the top sheet in his fist, he looked at the one under it. Details, more of the same, still a denial of what he'd been working for. Sitting down, he dropped the crumpled sheet and started to quickly check through the rest. High scores. Promising results. Then that glaring failure highlighted and underscored overtop all of it. 

Making a noise of frustrated grief, he flung the entire stack hard enough that it scattered over the room in a flurry of paper. He felt no urge to go collect it. He also had no urge to go join everyone else in the mess hall. His appetite was gone.

He couldn't believe that he'd failed. Especially not like that.

He couldn't.

But what else was there left for him to do?


	3. Snapshots

**Ever**

He hadn't expected to be singled out. Not anymore, and certainly not for good news, news that could seriously affect his life in any way that could be construed as positive. 

But he'd forgotten the marksmanship contest he'd been part of the week after the exams. He'd done it more as something to kill his jitters over the inevitable results than as something he expected to hear about again. Though, he had also done it to cover his ass, just in case the General checked on him, though he had no idea why the man would bother. 

Apparently he'd won. 

Sitting and watching the officer speaking to him while in a state of stunned incomprehension, he tried to wrap his mind around what he was being told. His marks on the exam had been exceedingly advanced, he'd seen that for himself, but he hadn't really taken into account how that could affect him having a career as anything other than a grunt. That was what he was being spoken to about now, how to apply those abilities to the shift of command that had apparently come through in a request after the contest results were passed around.

It wasn't SOLDIER, clearly, but it was enough for him to find himself actually reconsidering his state of affairs. He'd thought he'd stay a grunt. Clearly, he needed to stop looking for the dead end if things like this were going to literally come smack him in the head. It wasn't all about the failure, and he should have known that by now, even if his pessimism had finally found a way to ring true.

He was usually more stubborn than he'd been this time.

He wouldn't repeat the mistake.

* * *

  
**Sitting**  


There were many times that he wished he had someone that he could talk to about things like this. 

Many times, and a good portion of his life had been devoted in vain to such hopes, and the closest he ever got was the few first classes, and the rare second, who at times didn't mind trying to speak to him. The hero worship was there in many, but he'd long since learned it was unavoidable, even if unwelcomed.

In this instance, someone who would speak frankly with him would have made the matter simpler. He had no sounding board to give him an opinion on his ideas, and he never had. Thus, there was no one to tell him that his interests, and his requests, might be over the top in any fashion.

Only the fact that there were few kept them from being immediately noticed, and he was aware of that. If he'd had a gauge of normal, this would be simpler. Instead, he had Thegra, and while a good unit, they were still far from normal themselves, and he was aware of that as well. 

Brushing his silver hair out of his face, he thought about the request order he'd been considering for the last hour, then took a moment to single out any possible, singular repercussions amid the ones that had crossed his mind. There were many, but no one was louder than any other.

A glance to the reports he'd looked through was what decided him though, and he signed the request. 

A skilled cadet was always welcomed in those ranks.

* * *

**Begin**

He shuffled in place a little, trying to contain his fidgets as he realized exactly how and where he was. He'd been moved to the new unit, rehoused, and how he didn't recognize anyone. Okay, he _did_ , but not in the conventional manner.

The group was outfitted differently, backup to people way more important than the average Shinra grunt ever got to interact with… and he felt more than outclassed with his standard issue rifle and even more standardized gear. Amid the variety in the building, he was almost glaringly different. In a bad way.

The hair never did help with that sensation.

Debating turning around and going back, as though he could, he wound up being brought up short as he was noticed. "Hey all, seems the new kid's arrived." It was a blond man with brown eyes that spoke, and it wasn't until he stood to come over that Cloud had a chance to take in the sheer height of the slender figure. "You're Strife right?"

Finally managing to blink, he nodded, and that got a grin back. "Yes, sir."

"No need for that. At least not yet. When we're out in the field we can get all formal, though for now I suppose introductions are in order. I'm Jacob Johanson, you can just call me JJ. Simple stuff." He waved a hand in the air to draw the others in the room to come over. "Once everyone knows your face and you know theirs, I'll show you your room. Sound good?"

Blinking a few times, he simply nodded again, feeling vaguely like someone just yanked the floor out from under him. "Yeah, it does."

"Good!" Ushering the blond further inside, though not trying to touch him or take his things, JJ set about finishing introductions.

* * *

** Sleep **

Sephiroth was off balance, had been off balance for the course of the afternoon. He was tired, and he had a vague ache in his head and body. Some would have deemed these signs of perhaps an impending illness, but he knew such could not be the case. The mere possibility of him succumbing to something of that sort had horrifying repercussions at best. 

At least, the oddities had not manifested until he had set out on the expedition with this group of troops. It was easier to keep his small problems unnoticed when on the back of a bird, then later amid the constant activity that was accorded to getting camp set up. In fact, the concealment of any trouble was effective enough that he dismissed the earlier problems as a momentary weakness. That, unfortunately, was not something he had not experienced before.

Still, when he went to sleep, he found himself sleeping soundly, far more soundly than he should have been and he missed the first warning signs of an attack from the faction they had come to the area to investigate and deal with. It was clumsy, and he shouldn't have needed the extra moments he'd been given by the newest addition to this platoon. 

It was a bad sign, but still, there was nothing to be done for it now, and he mentally shook himself, needing to get himself physically stable again before he got his men killed. Approaching the frozen boy first, he worked out what would need to be done.

* * *

**Breathe**

Cloud knew he was breathing raggedly, and he didn't even try to take it. It just was what it was. After the flurry of activity, the attack, the way they'd come up on the camp…

He could, in all honestly, say that he might have just saved the General's life. It was unlikely, of course, but it didn't stop his heart from thundering as he stared down a group of corpses. It was the middle of the night, and he was on patrol, so he wasn't startled to hear the camp staggering to life in the background as the echo of gunfire faded.

The soft booted steps to his right were louder, and a gloved hand moved to press on the top of the rifle, nudging until the muzzle was pointed down. His eyes, maybe a little too wide, flicked to the man, and he was startled when the man dipped his head to him, just slightly. 

"Thank you." 

Nothing else was said, and Cloud didn't even have a chance to squeak out a reply before the man was gone, his voice clear as it joined the background noise. He was issuing orders, something about checking for more…

Of course. Now wasn't the time to be shocked into silence. Gathering himself, he moved to join the rest and let people know what just happened. He made sure not to glorify his place in events. He hadn't, after all, done near as much as his first impression tried to tell him.

And he would just keep telling himself that too.


	4. Three Degrees North

He was years behind on where he had planned to be by this point. Wutai was long over, so that chance had sailed right on by him, but it was okay. There would be other chances, and his mother had needed him to stay home these last years.

Now he was free to go, and he'd finally manage to get to Midgar so he could try to wiggle his way into SOLDIER. They'd likely tightened ranks since the end of the war, but if someone younger than him could get in, and get up there, he was completely sure he'd be pretty convincing once he arrived. Unlike when he'd planned to go, his age wouldn't cause them to pause quite so long and consider like if he was just a kid. 

No, now he could see absolutely nothing barring him from getting up to the top and making a hero of himself unless he _really_ managed to fuck it up. Which… was possible, but he'd be trying really hard to avoid that, because that would just suck.

So far, things had been going good. He'd gotten his study materials, proved he could use a blade, and even managed to find out when tests were so he could give it a go. Now, all he needed to do was wait. Again.

Just like he'd waited patiently for the last four years as he helped his mom deal with his dad's illness, though this time it was more a good anticipation than frustrated upset. Nodding to himself, pleased with his resolve and satisfied with the way everything was going, he turned on his heel to head back to his place, it was just a little rundown apartment, but it would work until he passed. 

The last thing he'd expected was to immediately see two of the best known of Shinra's elite coming through the door he was headed towards. The General and the youngest of the SOLDIER. They were saying something, but he just wasn't close enough to hear.

Something he immediately resolved to fix as he picked up his step, moving up in front of them and flashing them a smile that he just managed to avoid letting be awestruck. Even if it had turned out that the blond was shorter than him. "Hi! I'm Zack, Zack Fair. You two are Sephiroth and Cloud Strife, right?"

Whatever they'd been saying cut off pretty well at his words, and he got two pairs of glowing eyes focused on him right quick. Gods they were pretty. Right, but that didn't have anything to do with wanting to talk to them or anything. 

At all.

Really.

As the silence drew out, he offered his hand, hoping one of them would get the hint. "I am right aren't I?"

They shared a glance before the blond reached and clasped his hand briefly, releasing it on a slow nod. "You're right. I'm Cloud Strife. Ah… Fair, right? Why so excited?"

"I had no idea I'd meet you guys so soon. I mean, I knew I would eventually, since I'm _gonna_ be a SOLDIER, but this is like, the best of good omens." He flashed them a brilliant smile as he let his hand drop to his side. Well, at least that had done _something_. "You'll remember me right? When I get there, I mean, no need for all these introductions all over again."

"No, I'm entirely certain this first impression will linger with us both. It was… interesting meeting you, but we do have other duties to attend to." Nodding, Sephiroth nudged Cloud lightly, and both moved past him off to other parts of the building than the one he'd come from. Looking after them, he let out a soft breath, still smiling to himself as he slipped out into the Midgar sunshine.

Only then did he realize that there had been a barely discernable wry current in Sephiroth's voice that he hadn't even realized was there until he'd left the building. 

"Dude, did he just snark me?" He paused, glancing back at the door he'd left through as he felt his small smile turn into a grin. "He so did… this is gonna be awesome."


End file.
